Lost In Chaos
by VTPM
Summary: Pretty much this is a story about Don Thousand and his banishment from Astral World, as well as his losing himself to Chaos.
1. Chapter 1

/Hiya fellow readers! I'm back with a new story, though it's been published for a while on . Finally got around to putting it on here. ^-^' Anyhoo, just a warning, chapters in this story are VERY short because I was forced to write most of it on my 2DS, which has a character limit for how much I can type... Sorry for that, but at least I can usually get chapters out faster. I haven't been updating much of anything recently because I've been having a lot of real-life problems going on and haven't had the energy... Anyhoo, hope you like the story and please leave me some reviews for suggestions, tips, comments, etc..

* * *

"DON THOUSAND! STOP IT!" Eliphas yelled, trying to hide behind a book shelf. "YOU'RE GOING TO GET MY BOOK WET!"

Don rolled his eyes and peeked around the shelf with his bucket of ice water. "Then put the damned thing down!"

"Wha- NO! I need to study! And you know you're not allowed to curse!" Eliphas lectured, running away again.

"Does not mean I will stop. Father is not here right now anyways.." Don muttered, taking off after him.

Not long after, Eliphas found himself stuck in a corner between another book shelf and a wall.

Don grinned. "Looks like you cannot run anymore."

"Don, seriously..! I'll get in trouble..!" Eliphas whined, hugging the book close.

"You never have time to do anything fun anymore..." Don mumbled.

"It is not like it's my choice! I need to study! And you should take your own studies more seriously..."

Don yawned. "Books are boring..."

"Are not!"

He made a face. "I honestly cannot believe you prefer reading and homework over fun..."

"Books are fun!"

"Not really..."

"You just do not know what you are talking about.." Eliphas huffed. "Now I am serious. I need to finish this chapter before Father comes to check on me."

"...Fine.. It's not like I want to bother you or anything.." Don muttered, dropping the bucket and stomping out of the room.

"Don, wait! It's not like that!" Eliphas yelled after him, but Don didn't listen and simply locked himself in his room like he usually did.

A quiet knock soon sounded on his door. "Don..? I really did not mean it that way..."

Don sniffed. "I thought you were busy studying..."

"Don't be like that.. You know I didn't mean it that way.."

"...I know.."

"Please come out..."

Don hesitated, but slowly opened the door a crack.

"I'm sorry... Really.." Eliphas said quietly.

"..It's okay.. I don't mind.. I know you didn't really mean it..." Don replied, opening the door the rest of the way.

Before Eliphas could answer, a voice yelled, "ELIPHAS! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE STUDYING!"

Eliphas flinched a little. "Coming Father! I'm sorry Don.. I have to..."

Don nodded. "I know.. I understand.."

Eliphas fidgeted slightly, but soon ran off back to the library.

Don sighed and shut his door again, deciding maybe when Eliphas was done, he'd come back.


	2. Chapter 2

Eliphas didn't come back that day. In fact, after that day, it was even harder to spend any time with him. And when he did have free time, he would be incredibly distant.

Don was honestly getting worried, thinking perhaps he'd done something wrong. Eliphas would always listen to him if he could get whatever book he was reading away from him, but now it didn't matter what he did, Eliphas would just tell him to knock it off and go away, that he was busy.

It hurt a bit, but Don let him have his space and spent a lot of time locked in his room. It's been this way a whole year now, and Don still doesn't understand what had suddenly changed. The only time he even saw Eliphas anymore was in the halls, though they didn't talk, usually.

Today was one of those days they did.

Don wasn't even expecting it and simply was heading straight back to his room, when he heard from behind him, "Don..?"

He stopped and turned back to Eliphas, surprised by being called out and even more so by his guilty expression.

"Yes..?"

"Are you okay..? I know I've been ignoring you a lot and all..."

"...Yeah, I'm okay... I just.. You're never around anymore.."

Eliphas looked down. "I know... Father said I wasn't studying enough... He hasn't let me do anything other than study..."

Don looked at him incredulously. "How could you have not been studying enough..? That was almost all you did! And now it IS all you do.."

"I know.. I'm sorry... I'll try to talk to Father about it.."

Don nodded a little. "Alright.."

"I.. Need to go.. I'm sorry for all of this..."

"It is alright, Eliphas... I just miss talking to you..."

"I miss talking to you too, Don.. I'll talk to Father about it.."

Don nodded again and turned away again, going to his room and locking the door.

Eliphas sighed and walked back to the library where he knew his father would be impatiently waiting for him to get back.

Sure enough, as soon as he stepped in the room, Aolin growled, "What took you so long? You know we don't have all day!"

"Sorry Father... I was talking to Don, and-"

"You were what?! You know I told you to stay away from him! He's not worth your time! Why waste it on him when you can be doing your work and getting ahead?"

"But Father.. It's kind of lonely being stuck in the library all day.. Surely I could have a little time off every day or every other to be with him? He is my brother after all and I never see him anymore..."

"So what if you're lonely? You'll be thanking me when you know everything you'll need to take over and are a wonderful leader of Astral World! Besides, his Chaos will be nothing more than a bad influence on you. It truly is best you stay away from him and every other Chaos Being."

"But why?"

Aolin sighed. "You would not understand... But Purity is everything and Chaos is what plagues this world. It should all be removed from our world. It will be perfect if it is. Same with beings without any Chaos. They are perfect, like you. Your brother is incapable of being anything important because of his Chaos. He can never be perfect and he cannot be saved. You should not waste any more time than you already have on him. Do you understand?"

"But-"

"Do you understand?" Aolin asked, harsher.

Eliphas looked down, but not knowing what else to say, murmured, "Yes Father..."

Since he was looking down, Eliphas never caught the small smile that had appeared on Aolin's face.

"Very good, Eliphas.. I always knew I could put my trust in you.."


	3. Chapter 3

Don jolted awake at the loud knocking on his door. No, knocking was far from the right word. More like banging.

Eight years had passed since that 'conversation' between Aolin and young Eliphas had occurred, all unknown to Don Thousand, of course.

Things had gotten even more lonely since then, and he still didn't understand Eliphas's absence. Nor would he for quite some time.

But that's beside the point for now. Today, something much more important was going to occur.

"OPEN YOUR DOOR THIS INSTANT! WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU ABOUT LOCKING IT?! I'LL HAVE IT REMOVED IF YOU CONTINUE DISOBEYING ME!"

Don groaned and held the pillow over his head. He was NOT ready to deal with Aolin this earlier. But sadly, the insistent knocking (Or banging if you prefer) and yelling was impossible to ignore.

Reluctantly, Don drug himself out of bed and over to the door, though hesitated to open it. He did after a few seconds of trying to keep himself calm, and was surely not pleased with the furious look on Aolin's face.

"Yes Father..?"

He clearly wanted to bring up the door again, but let it slide for now. "I want you to go outside. I'll be busy... teaching Eliphas something and I do not want you interfering! Understand?"

Don frowned at him, noticing his odd pause. "Can't I just stay in my room..? I won't come out or bother you." 'I haven't for the last nine years... Especially these past eight...' He thought grimly to himself.

"I don't care! I want you to be outside and far from the tower!"

"Fine.." Don muttered, pushing past him and down the hall.

He didn't go like he was told though. He simply waited until Aolin had gone down another hall and was out of sight and earshot, then immediately returned to his room (locking the door behind him, despite the possible consequences). There was no way in hell he would go outside. One, he had no desire to obey any of Aolin's commands like an eager dog, and second, he didn't have many fans here that enjoyed his presence in this universe. Most of them hated any Chaos Beings just as much as Aolin (hence all the fights that always happened. Not to mention the killings and hangings. Don definitely did not want to meet that fate, being caught alone on an empty street with less-than-sober racists who are looking for a fight and know there's rope and a tree not so far away and that they'd never even get in trouble for it, since it's just the same as crushing bugs on a sidewalk.).

He returned to his bed, hoping to sleep a little longer like he'd planned before Aolin awakened him.

He didn't have his eyes closed more than 10 minutes before the entire tower began to shake.

Earthquakes weren't usually a problem on Astral World, and Don knew immediately something was amiss.

Don couldn't see much from his window, so he decided to look from the very top of the tower, no longer caring if Aolin saw him. Surely he'd be too worried about was happening to care, at least for the moment.

When Don did reach the top, Aolin and Eliphas were already there, but they looked far from confused by the situation. In fact, Don was certain they were the cause of this.

Before he could call them out, he noticed off on the very distant horizon - no, the horizon itself - was moving and blended from blue to purple to red at its very farthest.

Despite having no idea this would happen, Don knew what was happening.

Aolin and Eliphas were somehow ripping all Chaos from Astral World.


	4. Chapter 4

"What are you doing..?" Don asked in disbelief.

Aolin turned to him, though didn't look too upset about his appearance. "Simple. We're removing all of the Chaos energy and souls. And once that is done, next the Chaos Beings will go. Then this world will be perfect."

Don looked over pleadingly at Eliphas, hoping to see some sort of regret, guilt, or recognition. 'Maybe this isn't really happening..' Don thought. But Eliphas only glared, nothing of what Don used to know left in his eyes, and the growing red sphere on the horizon only proved this was real. Don knew that he couldn't dream something like this, not even in the worst of fever-induced nightmares and hallucinations.

"Do not think that you get any favor either. If anything, I'll make sure you are the first gone." Aolin said, and Don despised the smirk on his face.

Don started to back away, but heard something behind him. Two guards were approaching him with chains, and Don knew what they had in mind.

With growing panic, he managed to bolt passed them before they could bind him with the steel links, though he felt one lash his back on the way to the stairs.

Don nearly stumbled halfway down the staircase in his rush, but quickly caught himself, knowing he'd be caught judging on how close behind the footfalls of the guards were.

Once he reached the bottom floor, he immediately burst out of the tower, hoping he was running too fast for both the guards to catch up and for anyone to grab him when they saw he was being chased. He had no idea where he was going, but he just knew that he had to get away from here.

He turned down an alley, listening as best he could to see if the footfalls were getting more distant, but if they were, the difference was too slight to tell.

He winced slightly as he ran passed a tree and noticed a body hanging from it, though he tried not to look. What got his attention more was the young girl sitting below her by a puddle of blood and weeping, and he knew it must be her mother. What stood out most about her was her midnight hair with star-white speckles scattered throughout.

He shook his head and tried to focus back on running, knowing he couldn't afford to get distracted.

Don kept to the alleys, thinking main streets could be more dangerous with all the people, but he soon regretted choosing the path he did. He found a wall was suddenly towering over him, leaving no other ways to run other than back the way that would be soon blocked by his pursuers.

He quickly considered fighting back or teleporting, but Aolin made sure he didn't use his powers as much as he could, not wanting him to get too strong or skilled. He wasn't sure he could even use them well.

Before he could come up with something else, something blunt slammed into the back of his head.

Don collapsed to his knees, fighting back the blackness threatening to take over his vision.

It did no good, however, and he felt the object hit the same spot with just as much force, and had no choice but to let the darkness take his vision and his consciousness...


	5. Chapter 5

Don wasn't sure how long he was out, but it was long enough to have been drug back to the tower. He wasn't bound in chains surprisingly, but was in a holding cell.

He winced when he looked around, the wound on the back of his head throbbing still, though there was nothing to see but grey stone walls and metal bars with more rock walls outside. The door was bolted strongly and it was impossible to pick the lock.

About ten minutes after waking up and of pacing the small cell, two guards approached the door and started unlocking it. He recognized them as the ones who'd chased him.

Don wondered if he should fight back this time now that he was ready, but seeing the swords at their waists made him quickly throw out that decided it would be best to do what they wanted until he could find a way out of this, since there wasn't any way he could currently see to get out of the cell without being injured.

Don wasn't surprised to be taken back to the top of the tower and find Eliphas there, though he'd expected Aolin to be there as well.

Before anything was said, the distinct light and sound of a portal opening came from behind him, and by what Aolin had said earlier, Don had a pretty good idea where it would take him.

"Why are you doing this? You never had anything against me or any other Chaos Beings before!" Don growled.

Eliphas gave no sign of recognition. "This is necessary for the better of everyone." He said bluntly with no emotion.

Don didn't bother replying. He could tell it was pointless. Eliphas clearly didn't care about what happened to him anymore and certainly didn't care that they were kin. There was nothing left of the kind, book-loving person Don knew Eliphas used to be.

'He's no brother of mine anymore...'


	6. Chapter 6

"Do you have anything else to say for yourself?" Eliphas demanded.

"No.. You won't listen anyways.." Don replied.

Eliphas didn't deny it. "Very well... Then your banishment will begin."

The two guards behind him started toward him, but Don turned and sent a blast of energy at them, knocking them back against the wall.

"You traitor..." Eliphas snarled, charging an energy sphere.

"You're one to talk..." Don retorted, turning back to face him again now that the guards were out of the way.

Eliphas fired the sphere, not answering.

Don easily dodged and fired an attack of his own, though it was poorly aimed due to his lack of experience using such attacks.

"You'll regret this Don Thousand.." Eliphas growled, approaching him.

"No, I don't think I will..." Don muttered, readying another attack and launching it.

Eliphas didn't have time to entirely dodge it and was clipped on the shoulder, making him stagger a little. In that opening, Don lunged forward, landing a hard punch on Eliphas's temple.

He hissed in frustration at the pain and lashed out, elbowing Don in the ribs and knocking him back, as well as quickly making another sphere and firing it at Don's chest.

Don felt the breath get knocked from his lungs at the impact and pain blossom in place of the lost air.

He shook his head to clear it, and though he got passed the pain, a red haze covered his vision.

What happened next was nothing but a blur to him. He remembered glaring hatefully at his once-kin and starting to charge another attack, but the next thing he remembered was his entire body aching from injuries, and seeing Eliphas on the ground, looking equally as hurt.

Don growled and prepared another attack, knowing this was close to over, but a sudden wave of pain went through his body as his senses began to return.

'Do I really want to kill him..?'

A wave of energy smashed into him then, knocking him to the floor. Darkness threatened to take him, but he fought it away. He knew if he didn't stay awake to protect himself, he might never wake again.

The two guards had gotten back to their feet and kept him from further harming Eliphas, and were now standing over him. He tried to get up, but found all his energy had gone into the fight, and he was too weak to fight back anymore.

Don spared a glance toward the unconscious Eliphas, briefly wondering if he regretted this, or if he was okay, but the thoughts were quickly shoved away.

'He brought this on himself...'

The guards grabbed him then and started dragging him toward the portal, and though his fear of what exactly might be on the other side, it was at least enough for him to realize that whatever happened next was beyond his control, and he gave in to the exhaustion, hurt, and the quiet of his understanding that he was now completely alone.


	7. Chapter 7

Everything felt numb and far away for the longest time. Even 10 minutes after opening his eyes, Don still couldn't register what he was seeing. Once he started sorting out all his thoughts and memories, and reality became clearer, he honestly wished he hadn't woken up. It'd be easier if he hadn't.

'I have nothing... What am I supposed to do..?'

He closed his eyes again, hoping he could sleep and not have to wake up again, or if he did, all of this would turn out to be a dream, a nightmare, and he could simply continue his before-life. Of course, that was impossible though.

'This is my reality... This is my life now.. There's no going back..'

Eventually he decided giving up here was cowardly. He didn't even know if this place was okay or not.

'It might be better than that damned Pure world.. I cannot just give up here... It's too soon for that.'

Don forced himself, with some difficulty, to reopen his eyes and actually focus on what was around him.

Red. That was the first word that struck him. Like blood.

Sand came next. The sound of waves as well.

'I guess I ended up on some shore then...'

It took all of his effort to simply push himself into a sitting position to get a better look around. It made his bruises and injuries ache, but he ignored it.

On one side was a vast ocean of crimson water, on his other was tall cliffs. The beach was fairly wide, but he was still closer to the ocean than he was comfortable with. He didn't know why, but it gave him an uneasy feeling, like something wasn't quite right and that he should get away.

Don looked over toward the cliffs, looking for a possible way up, but it all appeared too steep and with not enough footholds to climb.

He struggled to his feet and limped toward the cliffs, hoping he might find something closer up. (And he still just wanted to put some distance between him and the water. It sent cold shivers down his spine.) He still couldn't find any way to get off the shore, at least not one he could use in his current condition.

Don had to sit down after a while, still feeling exhausted. He didn't have much time to recover before clouds started rolling in from over the ocean. Large, black thunderheads. They gave him the same forbidding feeling as the sea.

He made himself stand again and looked for somewhere to take shelter. Not too far down the beach, he thought he could make out a small gap in the rock. A cave. He decided that was the best he was going to find before the storm hit.

Once he was about halfway there, the first droplets fell. They left a slight tingling feeling where they hit his skin, so it didn't give him too much concern, but as they started falling more and hit him more frequently, he yelped in pain as they started burning like acid.

It helped motivate him to get to the cave much faster. Even though it made his injuries hurt worse, it was better than being burned to death by acid rain.

Don made it to safety before taking too much damage, though the cave wasn't very comfortable. It was cold and damp, and was the last place he wanted to spend the night, but he had no choice.

He settled down in the least rough patch of stone he could find and stared out the cave mouth to wait out the storm.

'This will take some getting used to.. But maybe things will be better on top of these cliffs... I guess I'll find out soon enough.'


	8. Chapter 8

It took longer than expected for the storm to finally recede, and Don ended up being stuck in the cave for about 3 days. The only good that came from it was with all the time to rest, his wounds had healed quite a bit and he had a good deal of his energy back. Enough to find a way off the beach, anyways.

He did his best to avoid any puddles of water, not wanting to repeat the feeling he'd gotten when the rain had fell on him.

It took some time, but Don finally found a spot on the cliff that looked like it had enough footholds to climb with.

With a bit of effort, he found a way up, though nearly slipped twice when the weak spots in the rock gave out beneath him. He was simply glad to be further from the ocean.

Only now a bigger problem had to be faced: What was he going to do? And where would he go?

The place looked pretty empty, to be put bluntly. Just rock and crystal.

'And Chaos... Though this place seems quiet and peaceful enough to be made of Chaos..' He couldn't help but smile grimly at the irony, though it soon passed.

Going anywhere seemed pointless. 'It's all the same...' He thought. 'Will it really make a difference..?' He figured not. But he did need to find some safe shelter in case another storm rolled in. Another cave didn't seem very welcoming, but there's a good chance there was nothing better here.

The idea of building something came to him, but he knew most buildings were made through energy manipulations, so it would most likely be the same here.

'And Father never taught me anything.. Of course..'

But he did have all the time in the world now that he had no concerns about anyone else.

'I can teach myself.. I've used some energy before.. I'll figure it out..'

After several days of practicing, Don did start finding how to use energies in different ways. It took a while, but with practicing day and night, he got slightly better with every day, and the more he had figured out, the faster he learned and got used to it.

'If I can keep this up, I will easily surpass Eliphas in no time..'

That thought seemed to come from no where one day, and while it surprised him, it didn't strike him as wrong at all. If anything, it seemed just.

This thought grew the more he used the Chaos energy and strengthened his abilities, until one day, he barely even thought about his before-life on Astral World and the good he used to see in his kin. The hate simply grew every day and showed no sign of slowing down or receding. The growing in hate had been noticeable at first, but soon it became so normal a feeling, it was like a heart beat now; he knew it was there, but it was simply too small to be worth paying attention to.

Eventually he had no choice but to admit its existence, though. That was the day his once gold skin started to dull out and fade to pitch black. He didn't care at first, but it soon was just too noticeable to not wonder at.

Don's 'transformation', so to speak, didn't take long to complete once it started. He came to accept it without too much trouble. He decided it was better than keeping his other form that was associated with the forsaken Pure world.

That was when another idea occurred to him.

'I think once I've completed my training, I will pay Eliphas a visit... It is time he suffers for this unforgivable crime..'


	9. Chapter 9

Ever since the banishment of Chaos, things had seemed to get quite a bit better on Astral World. All of the fighting and hangings seemed to have disappeared like dust in the wind.

'Maybe Father was right all along...' Eliphas thought.

"Hello, brother..." A scathing voice sounded behind him.

Eliphas turned and blinked in shock.

Don Thousand was standing about 20 feet away on the other side of the top of the tower, a large, crimson-crystal scythe resting at his side. That, and with the hate burning in his eyes, was enough for Eliphas to know why he was here. And he noted the change in his appearance.

"You're not welcome here anymore..." Eliphas warned.

"I know. But I don't really care, now do I?" Don replied, walking slowly toward him with the scythe dragging behind him so it made a sound like nails on chalkboard.

Eliphas winced. "You are not the same.."

Don just smirked. "Oh, you noticed? How observant of you.. I'll have you know this is all your fault.. This happened to me because of you, brother..." He said, somehow sounding casual and furious at the same time, especially on the last word.

"I did nothing wrong.. It was something I had to do to protect Astral World.. I couldn't put myself above the needs of everyone else.." Eliphas said, partially as a defense, partially to convince himself. He didn't like the way Don was acting now. It wasn't like the way he used to be at all.

"How heroic an act is it to kill and exile an entire race you will never understand? How can you call that the best for everyone? What about the Chaos beings?! Did their well being ever cross your mind?! I have high doubts of it..." Don spat, still closing the distance between them, step by step.

"But Chaos isn't worth anything! It's all evil! Why would I ever care about anyone with Chaos?!" Eliphas snapped before he could stop himself.

The hatred in Don's eyes grew significantly. "Oh really? So you lied to me my entire life until now?"

Eliphas knew he was stuck. "Well, no.. Just.. When I was old enough, Father said-"

Don scoffed. "I know well enough what he told you.. I've heard it my entire life from him.. And you believed his every word, didn't you?"

Eliphas looked down and didn't respond.

"Thought so... But now I know who's side you're on. It's obviously not mine. That makes you the enemy.. You have sacrificed me for the good of Astral World, but now I am the one willing to sacrifice you for the good of Chaos.."

Before Eliphas could protest, Don had raised his scythe and lunged forward, swinging the deadly sharp weapon straight for Eliphas's throat.

He ducked under it at the last second and quickly formed an energy sword in his right hand, holding it up at the ready in case Don tried a similar attack.

But he wasn't ready for what did happen. Don had circled to his side, and instead of swinging for his neck again, he aimed the sharp point for Eliphas's spine, hoping the crystal and his swing would be strong enough to break through the armor protecting there.

When the scythe did slam against the armor, it did manage to dent the armor in and split it enough for a small amount of the tip to puncture his skin, though not enough to damage his spine as Don had hoped.

Eliphas quickly pulled away and out of reach of the scythe before charging Don with his sword.

Don raised the scythe and blocked the blade with the handle, then shoved Eliphas away and tried swinging at him again.

Eliphas felt it collide with the armor covering his ribs, and hissed in pain as the metal collapsed and pressed painfully hard against his bones.

Before he had time to recover, Don swung the scythe at the same spot again, splitting the armor enough to leave a giant slash across Eliphas's side and break the ribs there.

Eliphas screamed this time, the pain too much to not.

'How dare he do this.. How can he try to kill me?! This is far worse than what I ever did to him!'

Feeling sudden hatred, Eliphas charged Don again, and like before, he raised the handle to block the attack. But Eliphas hit with far more force this time, enough to shatter the handle and leave the weapon less dangerous. It's blade could still cause damage, but Don wouldn't be able to hit hard enough to get through his armor with so short a handle.

Don seemed to hope it was still strong enough regardless, and tried to attack again, but it wasn't able to split the armor anymore and didn't leave as a significant a dent as before.

It also didn't serve as well as a defense either and Don soon found himself with his back against a wall and his scythe even more damaged than before. After blocking a few more slashes from Eliphas's sword, it shattered completely.

Before he could try making a new weapon, he felt a sharp pain go through his stomach. He looked down to see the sword embedded in his stomach. Don expected the sword to get pulled out, but Eliphas only pushed it in further until he heard the end scratch against the stone wall behind him and he cried out in pain. Don almost expected the torture to continue and for Eliphas to twist the blade next, but he removed it then instead.

It took all his strength to not fall to his knees from the pain, and he managed to stay upright.

'I don't think I can beat him like this.. But I cannot run... I will keep fighting even if it kills me..'

Don pushed himself off the wall and charged an energy attack, but before he finished, Eliphas jumped forward, knowing Don was slower now, and slashed his chest open, as well as back across his stomach over the stab wound.

Don staggered away from him, but slipped and fell to the ground, unable to get back to his feet. He looked at where he'd fallen and winced when he realized he'd slipped in his own blood.

A shadow feel over him and he looked up weakly to see Eliphas standing over him, though the sword was gone.

"You're defeated... Get out of here while you still can, Don. And never come back." Eliphas told him, clearly not kidding.

Don wondered why Eliphas didn't just kill him if he hated him so much, but didn't waste too much time thinking about it before he opened a portal and headed back for the Chaos world.

He made it, but barely. He nearly passed out not even half way there, but managed to hold on.

Once he got back, he collapsed on the ground, too weak to stay awake, let alone on his feet.

As Don closed his eyes, he thought, 'I'm not going to wake up this time, am I..? The injuries are just too much this time.. I'll have bled out by the time I would wake up... And it's all Eliphas's fault...'


	10. Chapter 10

When Don woke, he had absolutely no idea where he was. It certainly wasn't where he'd collapsed and it seemed unlikely to be death. There was a stone ceiling above him, but it was too warm to be a cave.

He tried to sit up, but hissed in pain and fell back, though he noticed gauze wrapped over his injuries.

"Hey, take it easy... You're just going to make it worse.." A voice said somewhere out of his field of vision.

Don turned his head to the side enough to see the person.

He was a Chaos being and had dark crimson skin with green eyes and white bangs with a spiked, purple ponytail. He also had dark grey and blue pants with a blue cloak.

"Who are you..?" Don asked, his voice sounded weaker than he liked.

"My name's Yael. I happened to come across you while I was out looking around.. You're lucky. You're pretty messed up and you wouldn't have made it on your own." Yael replied.

Don just nodded slightly, not sure he wanted to respond to that.

"Anyways," Yael said. "Who are you? I haven't seen you around before. And you're different from the others..."

"I am Don Thousand.." Was all he said, not wanting to get into details.

Yael seemed to get his hint and nodded. "Well, you'll be staying here for a while then. Though, I'm guessing you probably knew that. I won't ask you what happened. But it did have to do with the whole 'Chaos banishment' and Astral World, didn't it?"

"Yes.."

"Thought so.." Yael sighed. "They've been causing a lot of trouble with it.."

"I can imagine.. You decided to be exiled peacefully then?" Don asked.

"Yeah.. I saw what happened to someone who didn't and.." He shuddered. "It wasn't pretty, to say the least.. Did you?"

"No.. But I was spared.. A part of me wishes I hadn't been sometimes.."

Yael smiled sympathetically. "I know what you mean.. It seems pretty rough here, in a way.. It's just so empty.. And I haven't been able to find anyone I know.. I hope they're alright.."

Don didn't respond, what Yael said bringing up too many thoughts of his so-called family.

"Hey, I'll leave you to rest, alright? I'm sure you're still tired and probably weirded out with all this.. Just don't try to get up or move or anything.." Yael said, seeming to sense Don's discomfort, then left his vision again and was followed by the sound of a closing door.

Don sighed and stared numbly at the ceiling, trying to figure out how to get out of this situation.

Finding no answers, he decided to try sleeping, knowing he had nothing better to do.


	11. Chapter 11

Several hours later, Don woke to the same dull scene of the overhead stone. He looked around as best he could, but there was no sign of Yael.

'I wonder when Yael will be back.. It is going to be boring alone here.. And he at least isn't annoying or pushy...'

About another hour passed before the door opened and Yael stepped in, but something seemed different. Something seemed wrong.

"Oh, you're finally awake.." Yael said, trying to seem okay, but it was clear he wasn't.

"Did something happen..?" Don asked cautiously.

"Wh-Why do you ask?"

"You seem upset..."

Yael scratched his forearm nervously. "I-It's nothing... You shouldn't concern yourself.."

"...Is it about Astral World..?"

"...Y-Yeah.."

Don frowned some, but didn't press, in case he wasn't comfortable with it. It was only fair since Yael hadn't pressed him.

"S-So, how are you feeling anyways?" Yael asked.

"I'm alright.. It hurts a little, but I'll live... Are you sure you're alright..?"

Yael sighed and looked down. "I don't know.. I-I just heard from someone who just showed up that... M-My son was hanged..." He said, clearly trying not to cry and to act like it didn't hurt as much as it clearly did. "And I don't know what's happened to anyone else.."

Don winced. "I'm sorry... I didn't.."

"I-It's o-okay.. I-I'm sure I-I'll get passed it eventually... Unless something h-happens to..." Yael broke then, unable to hold back tears anymore.

Don felt truly sorry for him, knowing the loss of family even if it wasn't through death. But at the same time, he felt hate boiling inside.

'Look what you've done Eliphas.. You will NEVER get away with this..'

"Yael..? I know my word will mean little to you, but Astral World will suffer for what happened to your son.. I can promise you that.." Don told him, trying to keep the hate from showing too much in his vow.

Yael gave him a confused look at first, but nodded. "O-Of course.. They could n-never get away with such crimes... They'll g-get what's coming f-for it... But it still w-won't bring him b-back.."

That reminded Don of something very important. "No... But there is a way... The Numeron Code could..."

Yael gave him a miserable look. "But isn't it just a myth..?"

"No.. It must be real... I know it is.. Trust me.. I know it is." Don said.

That seemed to give Yael some hope. "..Yeah.. It is.. It's not too late... But how do we use it..? How can he be brought back..?"

"Just leave it to me... We'll find it once I'm better.. We'll fix all of this once we have the Numeron Code.."

'And then we will see how Eliphas and Aolin like their punishment for everything they've done to Chaos..'


	12. Chapter 12

Don opened his eyes weakly, and found nothing but suffocating darkness around him.

'This isn't the Chaos world...'

Once his eyes focused, he noticed there was something giving off light, though most of it even seemed lost in the immense blackness.

'What is that..?'

He wasn't sure how much time passed, but slowly the object seemed to get closer until he could finally see it clearly. It was an odd object that he'd never seen before, with pieces that fit together like some intricate puzzle and rotated around themselves on an invisible axis. Despite never seeing such an object before, he knew it's name.

'The Numeron Code...'

Soon it seemed to have drifted close enough to touch, and he hesitantly reached toward it, though froze when something about it changed. The smooth pieces became reflective like mirrors, and it stopped rotating enough to give him a good look at his reflection.

He felt a rising sickness in him. It looked nearly identical to him, but there were some noticeable differences. Both eyes were dark crimson and seemed to leak blood, and it gave off a dark aura instead of a golden one.

A voice cut through the suffocating darkness: " _This is what awaits you if you continue down this path_..."

'Was that..?'

Before he could finish his thought, that deep black aura shot out of the reflection and swarmed him, cutting off all sources of light and sound.

* * *

His eyes flew open and he jerked upright, tearing the wound on his stomach back open. Don fell to the side with a cry of pain, clutching his stomach, and accidentally falling from the bed to the floor.

Don was vaguely aware of footsteps quickly approaching him and someone shaking his shoulder. Slowly the haze of pain cleared and he looked up to see Yael giving him a concerned look.

"Hey, are you alright..? What happened..?" He asked, frowning.

He didn't respond immediately, though eventually nodded. "..Yeah... Just, a bad dream, that's all..."

Yael nodded in understanding. "Alright... Let me help you back up... Try not to move too much anymore, okay?"

"Right..." Don agreed, letting Yael pull him up to his feet. He wobbled slightly, though stayed upright. "Thanks..."

"Of course. These are hard times.. We need to stick together, after all."

* * *

Eliphas made his way up the long, winding staircase to the top of the tower. Once he reached the top, he gazed down at the city below. He knew he should be happy; there was no longer any fighting and things had been better than they had for longer than he could remember, but he still felt oddly empty. Inside he knew why, but he shoved the thought away.

He heard footsteps approach him from the doorway that lead back into the tower, and he turned to see who it was.

He wasn't surprised to see a young female Astral Being with long hair standing there.

"Ena," He greeted.

She stayed silent and started forward again until she stood at the balcony beside him, looking down at the city that was now entirely blue.

Feeling mildly uncomfortable with her silence, he said, "What do you think of it now?"

"What do I think..?" She murmured.

Eliphas nodded, wondering why she was acting so oddly.

Ena finally looked up at him, and he was taken aback by the anger in her eyes. "I think this is wrong. No, it's worse than wrong. How _could_ you?!"

"I-I don't understand... Things are better now..." He stammered.

" _Better_?" She hissed, abandoning her usual calm demeanor entirely. "You just exiled half the population for something absolutely insane! What were you thinking?!"

Eliphas took a deep breath to regain his composure. "It was necessary. I do not regret doing what's best for the people. Besides, father-"

"I don't care what you think! Our world needs the balance of the two energies! Even if it seems like everything's fine now, we'll slowly destroy ourselves from the inside! Don't you get it?! Don't you see what you've done?!" Her voice softened slightly. "Don't you care about Don..?"

Eliphas felt a small twinge in his heart, but he looked away, keeping the emotion out of his voice. "It was a necessary sacrifice... Besides, he attacked me. He's a traitor.. And a traitor is no brother of mine..."

A stinging sensational on his cheek made him turn back to face Ena with a shocked expression. He'd never seen her strike anyone before, let alone himself.

"I really can't believe you.. You've changed, Eliphas.. And unless you open your eyes and realize what you've done, I never want to see you again." She growled, turning away and stomping back down the stairs.

Eliphas looked back down to the peaceful streets, his mind whirling. He sighed and closed his eyes.

'What I did was for the best... She'll see, in time... I know it...'


	13. Chapter 13

Two weeks had passed and Don's wounds had finally healed completely, making him capable of now moving freely on his own outside the cave, though he never wandered very far and usually stayed somewhat close to Yael.

He didn't know any of the other Chaos Beings very well and still had trouble getting accustomed to the entirely new world that was so different from Astral World. There were no ways of building settlements, so all of the Chaos Beings were forced to take shelter in caves and under ledges in the stone that made up the rough terrain. Most were still in shock and grief, leaving them mostly unstable and immobile, and those that were only just badly shaken like Yael were left to care and tend for the others to try and bring them from their stricken stupors. It was eerie and disturbing.

It was late into the day when a portal opened near where Don, Yael, and many others had set up an encampment. Don expected it to be more exiled Chaos Beings, though stiffened when two Astral Beings stepped out instead.

Yael, however, didn't seem bothered by their appearance in the least and actually seemed to more so be expecting them and glad for their arrival.

Don followed Yael over to the two cautiously, watching silently as the older Chaos Being dipped his head to the two that should have been enemies.

"Will, Theo." He greeted.

They nodded in turn and the one who had been called Will quietly murmured, "We bring bad news..."

Yael shifted nervously. "What is it..? Did you find Sol..?"

Theo looked at the ground and scuffed it with his foot as Will sighed. "Yes..." He started, then with an apologetic look, said, "She fought back..."

"You... Y-You don't mean..."

"She was killed... I'm sorry..." Will murmured near silently.

Yael's knees buckled and he fell to the ground, crying out in grief. "N-No... Not a-after Regis... Sh-She can't be t-too..."

Several others had joined the group after realizing that the two Astral Beings were there bearing news and were not threatening, and they hung their heads grimly.

"There's more.." Theo said, speaking up after a few minutes.

"And I'm guessing it's nothing good." One of the Chaos Beings said gruffly.

"Someone's started fighting against the Astral Beings in the Royal Guard."

This caught interest in the small crowd.

"Who is it..?" Several people asked quietly.

"We're not sure.." Will admitted. "Not many people have actually seen the person and got out of the encounter alive. The few that have seen and lived never got a good look. We can't even be positive they're a Barian, though it's more than likely. All anyone ever recalls seeing is a flash of white. It's been dubbed 'The White Death'."

A quiet murmur passed through those listening.

"As far as we know, since only members of the Royal Guard are being targeted, is that the motive of this person is to get to the king and remaining prince to kill them and overthrow the royal power." Will added once things quieted some. "Though it has made things a bit worse as well... Ever since the attacks, Chaos Beings haven't been given the choice to come here peacefully. They're killed on sight now. We've been trying to harbor some of the ones we can find so we can send them here, but it's nearly impossible to get anyone to trust us to listen..."

Don noticed Yael stand shakily and retreat back to the cave they'd been using and followed him after a few moments. He hoped the crimson Chaos Being wouldn't fall into an unresponsive state of depression like many of the others had. The fact that he had been conscious enough to go back to the right cave to escape the crowd and noise was a good sign in itself, but still concerning nonetheless. However, he felt no concern for Eliphas's safety against this assassin.

* * *

Aleksy stood nervously at his post next to the stair case on the bottom floor of the tower, Leka on the other side looking equally as anxious as him, shifting her weight between her feet every few moments.

They were both well aware of the rumors of the assassin picking off members of the Royal Guard, meaning that at any moment they ould find themselves against this person in battle. It was a fear inducing thought.

Their shift was nearing its end, and both were thankful. The quicker they could leave, the safer they could feel, at least until their shift started again the next day.

Filat soon came to relieve them of their posts, waving in greeting as he approached to try and lighten the mood of the two clearly terrified Astral Beings. They weren't surprised he came alone. His partner in this shift had been killed just the other day and a replacement had yet to be found, so he worked alone.

Aleksy couldn't help but sigh in relief as he started toward the room Filat had come from to check out and be given permission to leave, Leka at his side.

They had only taken a few steps into the adjoining room before they heard Filat scream, though it cut off short and was followed by a dull thud.

The pair froze, torn between they're duty to kill and protect, and the instinct to save their own lives and run.

An unfamiliar voice sounded behind them, "What, are you thinking you could run away? Like I would allow that.."

Aleksy and Leka both whirled around to face the threat, and were shocked to see a young girl, no older than 13 by the looks of it, standing behind the with a blade at the ready in her hand. She didn't appear to be a Chaos Being or Astral Being, but instead an odd mixture of the two. She had pure white skin and markings similar to a Chaos Beings, but she had a mouth and no pupils like an Astral Being. Her eyes were a pretty dark blue that stood out shockingly against the bright color of her skin. But what was most eye catching was her long, pitch black hair that appeared to be speckled with stars.

"The White Death... It's just a kid..?" Leka whispered, appearing totally shocked.

The Chaos and Purity Hybrid simply smiled and lunged at her, tearing her throat open easily with one slash before thrusting the blade through her heart as she collapsed lifelessly to the floor.

Aleksy moved his mouth in a silent scream of horror, unable to find it in himself to call for help as the Hybrid stood and pulled her bloodied weapon free from the corpse of his partner.

She turned to him and gave him an innocent look, which made him all the sicker feeling at the sight of his friend's blood splattered on the child's face.

"Please.." He whispered. "Stop this.."

Her smile turned to a frown. "After what you did to my mother..? And all the other Chaos Beings..? I don't think so."

Before he could make any sound, he felt the cold of the blade slashing his throat open and the warm blood gushing from the wound just as had happened to Leka.

When he hit the floor, he desperately clutched his throat with his hands to stem the bleeding, and watched helplessly as the Hybrid stepped over him and hovered her blade over his heart.

"The name is Cosimia. Remember it." She whispered to be sure only he would hear, then thrust the blade through his chest and tearing it back out as she disappeared through a portal.

Only moments later, the life left Aleksy's body cold and limp.

The White Death had claimed even more victims.


End file.
